The scheme is for training pilots and crew to operate the Royal
Navy’s Hellcat helicopters, the British Army’s Apache attack
helicopters and the Royal Air Force’s Typhoon fighter jets.

NAO head Amyas Morse said: “Implementing the new flying
training has been challenging.

“There have been changes to the scope of the new system, its
budget and the approach to financing. The legacy of this has
understandably taken the MOD time to resolve and has resulted in
lengthy delays.”

Morse said some improvement had been made but “there is much
to do if the Department is to achieve the planned benefits of its
new approach.

“The Department needs to understand better actual training
performance and what affects performance before it can secure
significant improvements from Ascent.

“Otherwise, there is a real risk that moving to the new
training will affect the military’s ability to train the right
number of aircrew at the right time,” Morse added.

Besides personnel issues, the UK’s Typhoon jets have been plagued
with technical problems.

In January, it was revealed the RAF’s Typhoon jets could be
involved in a mid-air crash with passenger airliners because the
fighter jets have not been fitted with a collision avoidance
system.